This is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/877,605, filed Jun. 8, 2001, now abandoned.
This invention relates to delivery of a medical substance to a mammal and more particularly relates to nasal delivery of such a substance for absorption, reaction or other utilization.
Nasal administration of medical substances has had significant disadvantages. Dosages have been difficult to control due to excretory responses to administration, e.g. sneezing and mucosal excretion that removes or significantly reduces the substance from the nasal passages and sinuses. Another problem is that administered substances removed by an excretory response are often swallowed leading to nausea, stomach upset or other digestive disturbance. An even more serious problem is that if the excretory response is strong enough, the substance can be inhaled causing coughing or more serious pulmonary distress. An even further problem is that when a significant amount of the medical substance is removed by an excretory response, the material excreted is wasted material, thus increasing costs and inefficiencies associated with nasal administration.
In accordance with the invention a method is therefore provided for nasal application of a medicinal substance which overcomes the above disadvantages. In particular, the method comprises applying the substance through the nose in a maximum amount that is insufficient to stimulate an excretory response that would clear a significant portion of the substance from nasal and sinus passages and within a time period of less than one hour, and repeating the application of the substance, through the nose in an amount that is insufficient to stimulate an excretory response that would clear a significant portion of the substance from nasal and sinus passages. The repeated application, at a minimum, is done a sufficient number of times to provide an effective total dose of the substance. The repeated application, in any case, is done at least once.